British PM urges early election after EU backs Brexit delay

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged MPs on Monday to back an early election to resolve the political deadlock over Brexit, after the European Union agreed to postpone Britain's departure date for up to three months.

Johnson had promised repeatedly to leave the EU on October 31 but was forced to ask Brussels to postpone after MPs refused to back his divorce agreement.

Ambassadors from the other 27 EU member states agreed to the request on Monday but proposed that Britain could leave earlier if the deal passes parliament.

The delay is a major setback for Johnson, who said he would rather "die in a ditch" than prolong the tortuous Brexit process that began with the 2016 EU referendum.

He sought to regain the initiative by calling an election for early December — hoping that MPs might ratify his exit agreement before then.

"Nobody in this House relishes the idea of a general election, because nobody wants to put the public to this inconvenience," Johnson told the house of commons.

"But across this country there is a widespread view that this parliament has run its course."

Johnson, who leads a minority Conservative government, is expected to lose a vote on an election later Monday.

The proposal requires the support of two-thirds of 650 MPs but opposition parties do not want his Brexit deal.

They fear that if it does not pass, he might delay an election until February, risking a "no deal" exit that many fear would cause huge economic disruption.

If defeated, Johnson is expected to introduce a bill to legislate for an election, which would enshrine a date in law and require only a simple majority — and could pass.

The EU's approval of a third delay, which Johnson said in a letter to European Council leader Donald Tusk he had no option but to accept, comes three days before the latest Brexit deadline.

"The EU27 has agreed that it will accept the UK's request for a Brexit flextension until 31 January 2020," Tusk said earlier.

Johnson accepted the offer in a letter to Tusk and other EU leaders a few hours later — although he repeated his opposition to a delay.

He also called on EU members states "to make clear that a further extension after January 31 is not possible. This is plenty of time to ratify our deal".

According to a copy of the agreement seen by AFP, if Johnson convinces the British parliament to approve an amicable divorce accord in the coming weeks, Brexit could be on November 30 or December 31.

This is not impossible — British MPs last week backed Johnson's deal in principle but refused to accept his plan to rush through its ratification before October 31.